Geriatric medicine: Specialty Training Interview Questions Australia
The geriatric medicine questions that sit on top of the specialty training core: clinical scenarios, the system and governance questions specific to the specialty, and presentation titles.
Updated 28 October 2026
The structures these questions are marked on
- SAFER See the patient, Assess systematically with ABCDE, Fix what you can and decide, Escalate with a clear request in SBAR or ISBAR, Review: the patient told, the handover, the documentation and what you would do if the first plan failed. Full guide →
- The What it is in a sentence, Why it matters with a fact, What it means for this organisation and specialty, What I would do at my level and how I would measure it. Full guide →
Motivation
Evidence of commitment over enthusiasm: rotations, courses, audits, exams sat. Know the programme's stages, exams and rural requirements. Say what you would bring to a rural site, not just that you are willing to go.
- Asked in most interviewsUsually asked by the head of department
Why geriatric medicine, and why this unit?
Evidence: the geriatric terms, the frailty or stroke or orthogeriatric experience, the research, the audit. Then this unit: its services, its community programmes, its research, its catchment, in terms that show homework.
- Asked in most interviewsUsually asked by the staff specialist colleague
What do you know about advanced training in geriatric medicine, the community component and the research requirement?
The length, the core years, the community and rehabilitation and subspecialty rotations, the research project, and the assessments. Two accurate sentences, then what will be hardest.
- Often askedUsually asked by the head of department
Geriatric medicine is often undervalued by other specialties. How do you respond to that, and why does it matter?
A measured answer: the evidence base in comprehensive geriatric assessment, its effect on outcomes and admissions, and why frailty is the defining challenge of the health system. Say what drew you despite the perception.
Clinical scenario
Systematic assessment, treat what you can, escalate early and clearly even when the consultant is distant, use retrieval and telehealth where they apply, and say what you would do afterwards. A safe answer that asks for help beats a clever one that does not.
An 85 year old is admitted from a residential aged care facility with a fall, confusion and a fractured neck of femur. Talk us through your approach.
The comprehensive geriatric assessment from admission: the delirium and its causes, the medical optimisation for surgery within the target time with the orthogeriatric pathway, the analgesia including a block, the medications reviewed, the nutrition and the bone health, the discharge planning started, and the conversation with the family about goals of care.
A patient with delirium wants to leave the ward and is pulling at their cannula. What do you do?
Safety for everyone, de escalation first, the cause sought and treated, the environment and the family, medication only if the patient is a danger and by the guideline, the capacity assessment and the legal framework, and the documentation. Say what you would not do.
A frail 90 year old with pneumonia is not improving and the family want everything done. How do you approach it?
The clinical reality, the patient's wishes if known, the goals of care conversation led by you with the consultant involved, the ceiling of care and the resuscitation decision documented, and the comfort that will be given. Say how you would handle the family's fear of abandonment.
A patient presents with recurrent falls and a postural drop. How do you assess and manage them?
The multifactorial assessment: the falls history, the medications, the gait and balance, the cardiovascular causes, the vision, the environment. The interventions with evidence: medication review, strength and balance training, the bone health. The falls clinic and the community services.
A patient with Parkinson's disease is admitted and cannot swallow their medications. What do you do?
Time critical medication: the alternatives by the conversion guidance, the nasogastric route or the patch, the pharmacist and the Parkinson's nurse, and the recognition that missed doses cause harm. Say what else is in the differential for the swallowing.
An Aboriginal elder from a remote community is admitted with multiple conditions and wants to go home. How do you plan their care?
The Aboriginal liaison officer early, the family and the community health service, what matters to the patient, the plan that works where they live including telehealth and the aged care services available, and the medications simplified. Say what going home on country may mean and that it is a legitimate goal.
A patient is being discharged to residential aged care and the family disagree. What do you do?
The capacity of the patient to decide, the guardianship framework if they lack it, the family meeting with the social worker and the aged care assessment team, the patient's wishes at the centre, and the documentation. Say what changes if the patient has capacity and wants to go home despite the risks.
System knowledge
Know the programme's requirements in detail. Name three current pressures and link each to your specialty. Be able to explain clinical governance and the standards most relevant to your work in a sentence each.
What are the main pressures on services for older people in Australian hospitals, and how do they affect this unit?
Frailty and access block, the aged care interface and the royal commission's reforms, delayed discharges, the community geriatrics shift, the rural and Aboriginal ageing gap, workforce, and the effect on training. Link each to this unit.